Maryland RB Wes Brown charged with assault on police officer; suspended by team

Wes Brown, one of the University of Maryland’s top running backs, has been charged with second-degree assault on a Baltimore police detective who hoped to question him as a “person of interest” in a non-fatal shooting investigation from last month, police said Friday.

Brown was approached by campus police and Baltimore detectives on the 4300 block of Knox Road in College Park on Wednesday night and allegedly assaulted a Baltimore officer, then took off on foot, according to University of Maryland police spokesman Aaron Davis.

Brown swung and missed at the detective and then shoved him, according to Davis.

Brown was caught by campus police and charged with second-degree assault on a police officer, Davis said.

Baltimore police said in an email that Brown “is a person of interest in an open non-fatal shooting investigation from last month. Detectives were conducting a follow up investigation and contacted the local police jurisdiction for assistance in locating Mr. Brown.”

Brown was originally being held in Prince George’s County on $7,500 bond that was lowered to $2,500, according to Davis. Online records early Friday evening said that Brown had been released.

Brown, who was a freshman last season, has been suspended “and is not permitted to participate in any athletic-related activities,” according to a statement by the Maryland athletics department.

"We are extremely concerned that one of our student-athletes, Wes Brown, was arrested Wednesday evening,” the statement said. “This is a matter that we take very seriously. We have been in contact with the local authorities and will continue to cooperate throughout the entire process.”

Brown faces other charges related to the alleged theft of a cell phone and what Davis called the “unlawful interception of an oral conversation.”

According to Davis, the player allegedly used a stolen cell phone to record what was unfolding as police approached him.

Brown originally borrowed the phone from “an acquaintance,” Davis said. When the player took off with the phone, the acquaintance told police about it and Brown was charged with theft of less than $1,000 in value.

Brown is from Baltimore but attended Good Counsel in Olney – the same school as star receiver Stefon Diggs and offensive lineman Mike Madaras, also a starter last season.